1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a thermoelectric heat pump in at least one first fluid circuit and one second fluid circuit for a motor vehicle.
2. Description of the Related Art
The heating of the passenger cabin of a motor vehicle is a factor relevant to the driving comfort of the occupants.
An electrically driven vehicle has a drive machine in the form of an electric motor that does not generate as much waste heat as the internal combustion engine of a vehicle driven purely by an internal combustion engine. Additionally, hybrid vehicles typically have smaller internal combustion engines that may produce less waste heat. Thus, adequate heating of the passenger cabin of a hybrid vehicle remains a problem to be solved.
EP 2 357 102 A1 discloses a vehicle with a fluid circuit with a heat exchanger that is coupled by a first thermoelectric heat pump element to the passenger region and by a second thermoelectric heat pump element to a heat exchanger with respect to the ambient air. The heat pump elements can be controlled to realize a targeted dissipation of the heat from the fluid circuit to the ambient air or to the passenger region.
The configuration of EP 2 357 102 A1, however, realizes only a distribution of the available heat in a fluid circuit. The system of EP 2 357 102 A1 is not well suited for a vehicle that has different fluid circuits for cooling or temperature control of different assemblies, such as fluid circuits used for temperature control of the passenger cabin.
It is an object of the invention to provide a simple thermoelectric heat pump arrangement in at least first and second fluid circuits of a motor vehicle that enables adequate temperature control of the passenger cabin. It is also an object of the invention to provide a method for controlling such a thermoelectric heat pump arrangement.